Customer Reviews

Chimera

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Chimera", the latest book from Rob Thurman, leaves the supernatural world of her other "Cal Leandros" and "Trickster" series for something more real world but just as compelling. In "Chimera" we're introduced to Stefan, a young man with Russian mafia family ties who's younger brother Lukas was kidnapped 10 years ago at the age of seven. Long after everyone else but Stefan had given up searching, Lukas is found as a test subject in a strange institution that is experimenting on children. Stefan extracts his brother who no longer recognizes him and what follows is a journey for the brothers to reconnect and find out what was done to Lukas, all the while fleeing the institute who want their subject back, and the Russian mob after Stefan is implicated in a hit on his boss.

Family is a strong theme in Rob Thurman's books and it shows up again in "Chimera", this time as two (nearly) adults who are strangers but related in blood attempt to work out getting to know each other and define their relationship. The situation is complicated by Lukas' emotional scars he has from his time at the institute and his disbelief and denial that he even has a brother. Stefan has scars as well, as part of the reason he searched for Lukas for so long was that he blamed himself for the circumstances that led to his brother's kidnapping.

Rob Thurman may have left urban fantasy for the duration of this book, but the setting doesn't make any difference for this well established writer. Once again Rob Thurman gives us a tale that mixes drama, action, humor and emotion while showing she can write monsters of the everyday kind just as well as those of the supernatural kind.

"Chimera" is the first book that I have read from Rob Thurman and it did not disapoint. Ten years earlier Stephan Korsak had his brother kidnapped while they were riding horses and ever since he has felt guilt that he could not protect his younger brother from being taken. He is now twenty four and he continued the search for his brother Lukas. In order to pay for the search he has turned to the family business, which was part of the Russian Mafiya.

Finally the search has produced some results and Stephan is off to rescue his brother from his captors. Only to find that he needs to re-integrate himself into the life of a person who does not recognize him as a brother. On top of this, he has also burned his bridges with the Florida Mafiya bosses he had been working with. The chase is on, and Lukas (now 17) has been changed by the time he has been held captive.

Rob Thurman tells a compelling story of the feelings that Stephan has for his brother, and she tells of the wonderment of the young teenager who is now free in the open world. There are several twists and turns, which carry the story forward in a way that is fun to read. There are questions of morality and it shows in both the rough way Stephan has had to become, and the way Lukas has apparently been trained. And how he reacts to his big brother. Together they are on a trip searching how each can survive.

A decade ago someone kidnapped young Lukas Korsak. The lad just disappeared from sight with no ransom or any demand. His family grieved their loss as the assumption was he was murdered.

Lukas's older brother Stefan has never forgotten his sibling. Working for the Russian Mafia, he still searches for Lukas when he can. Following a lead, he assaults a top secret human laboratory that brainwashes and genetically modifies kids turning them into lethal assassins. There Stefan finds a teen who looks identically like Lukas adding ten years of maturity to the mental image the mobster has maintained. Freeing the teen, they flee from the facility's leader who sends a horde of transformed young trained killers after them.

Using technology rather than supernatural as the means of conversion, Rob Thurman provides a strong, faster than a speeding Flash thriller. Intriguing that both brothers are killers; yet the older one trusts their DNA and shared past while the younger sibling distrusts everyone as he has been thoroughly brainwashed so that his instincts are to kill regardless of collateral damage. Readers will relish this tale of brotherly love as Stefan tries to save his brother from what the Madhouse did to him, but soon believes he will be Abel to Lukas' Cain.

Harriet Klausner

I really enjoy Rob Thurman's writing, so even though this is science fiction, and not her usual urban fantasy, I didn't hesitate to order it. It took a while to get into the book. I think because the first 90 pages are spent introducing Stefan and his less than glamorous life as mob royalty and thug. The exposition was too long, and is the reason for 4 stars instead of 5. However, once he locates and rescues his brother, the story picks up.

The Amazon blurb pretty much covers the plot - Lukas/Michael has been genetically modified to be an assassin. Stefan could care less, he has his brother back. On the run from the people who created him, the brothers bond and some unexpected surprises emerge. I've read more than one science fiction book with this same plot, and I did guess the twist at the end. But what makes this worthwhile is the very same thing that makes the Cal Leandros series so good - the bond of brotherhood between the two men. Actually, Niko and Cal could easily be swapped for Stefan and Michael. One is a deadly fighter by necessity, the other a "monster" who had no say in his creation. And though there is a fair amount of action, what kept me turning the pages was seeing these two rebuild a relationship. The wisecracks, the sorrow, the joy at newfound emotions. It is a family drama hidden within a thriller.

This was intended as a stand-alone novel, and it does. Though it isn't strong enough to be a series, the end left room for a sequel which I would love to read. These two have unfinished business. Recommended.

I've been reading Rob's books since I found Nightlife via The Dresden Files' cover artist, Chris McGrath, and I haven't been disappointed by one her books yet. Chimera may drift away from the fantasy that inhabits both the Cal Leandros and Trickster books but it's still a book for any fan as well as anyone who loves science fiction (or if you're a fan of Supernatural and its brothers).

Stefan Korsak has been looking for his younger brother Lukas since he was kidnapped ten years ago. With contacts made from being a bodyguard in the Russian mafia, he manages to find a teenager who looks too much like his brother to be coincidence and makes plans to take him back. Getting Lukas away from the people that took him is easier said than done though as they're determined to keep him, which sends Stefan and Lukas on the run across the country trying to escape them. What follows is the two brothers getting to know each other again along the road, reestablishing the connections of family and brothers as they try to survive despite the people chasing them, thieves, mafia, gun-stealing ferrets, and each other. In the end, it's a story about how you survive with and without family and just what makes up those connections that hold us together.

I have read all the Leandros books and loved them. When I saw this book in the store the first thing that got my attention was the cover, (kudos to the designer) then I noticed Rob Thurman's name and immediately picked it up. I am very glad I did.

I won't go into a synopsis of the story since others have done a good job of it already. The story is at times poignant, humorous, exciting, tense and intriguing. The pull of family bonds mixed with painful guilt results in a brother embarking on a driven quest that has a surprise ending. Although I had come across a spoiler before reading the book, there were other clues I thought I had figured out as I read along and I was very pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong. I always enjoy that in any book I read, to have my guesses proven wrong by the time the story has ended.

I don't know if this is the beginning of a series, but I hope it is. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone.

I was already a fan of Thurman's other books, both the Cal Leandros series and her Trixa one. I was looking forward to this book, but I didn't know that it was THE book I have been waiting for and my absolute favorite release so far this year.

Holy crap, where to start? The characters? The plot? The dread I felt as I burned through the last half and approached the end, because that meant there was less book to read?

I love her Cal Leandros series, I truly do, but so this is my favorite book from this author. The characters were just so, so good, even down to the minor ones that breeze in and are gone. You become absolutely wrapped up in the very human drama in an inhuman situation, invested in some sort of positive ending for their sakes, yet aching because you don't want their journey to end.

Witnessing Stefan try so incredibly hard to reconnect with his brother, who is at the same time trying to adjust to simply being in the world and balance being what he's supposed to be with the teenager that he still is is intimate and again, so human.

I personally like books that move at a fast pace, this one hits the ground running. The author never disappoints in that respect. At one point as I paused to respond to an email, I had to remind myself to relax - that -I- was not, in fact, being pursued by unsavory people with guns. The high tension, balanced with both heartwarming and heartwrenching moments is just awesome.

As for the ending... Yeah. I didn't see it coming at all but could think back and see where it fit and yes, agree that it was the way to end it. Got some tears (and by "some", I mean "a lot") but it was great. If you enjoy character-driven books with a ton of action - criminy, if you enjoy books that are awesome, pick this one up. And really, who doesn't enjoy books that are awesome? (Sparkly vampire fans, maybe.)

Also, I apologize if this review is a little all over the place. It's the book's fault for making me lose track of time and thus spent three hours in a hot tub. There may have been a daiquiri involved as well.

This is the latest release from Rob Thurman, author of some of the best urban fantasy books on the market (Cal Leandros series & the Trickster series). Chimera is a story of a man and his quest to find his brother. He is the child of a russian mafia kingpin, who has gone into the family business almost by default. His true mission is to find his brother, who has been missing for ten years because of a stupid decision on his part one fateful night. Only, when he finds him, it turns out the brother is part of a secret experiment to create uber-assassins using human chimeras. What follows is a story of unshakable faith, trust when you have no reason to trust, and the depths you will go to for someone you consider family.

Like all of Rob's books this one doesn't disappoint. Its delivered with smart and snarky dialogue that will have you laughing out loud and reading it to anyone who will listen, great imagery, heart-stopping action and incredibly well-written emotion. Her characters are amazingly rendered and her storyline carefully woven. You won't be able to put it down. And,like all of her books it will leave you thoroughly satisfied and wanting more. More stories about these two characters, that is.

Write more, Rob. Write more.:)

Chimera is the story of a Stefan, a man who has been haunted by the kidnapping of his younger brother, Lukas, when Stefan was 14 and his brother was seven. In the 10 years since, Stefan has worked as a bodyguard in the Russian mafia in Florida. All of the money and resources he has, due to his father's own career in the mafia, have been used trying to find Lukas. When a tip seems to pay off, Stefan breaks into a guarded compound to get his brother out. The rest of the book deals with Stefan and Michael (the name Lukas had at the compound and what he wants to be called) on the run from Michael's captors. As this happens we learn more about Stefan and his life before and after Lukas was kidnapped, as well as finding out what life was like for Michael and what the purpose of the compound really is. Stefan sees pieces of his brother come out in Michael, even as Michael tries to convince him that he's not Lukas.

Since this story is about two young men who may or may not be brothers who are being hunted and have to mostly depend on each other, if you've read Thurman's Cal Leandros series (which I looove), you may think same book, different state. Though the writing style is obviously Thurman, which is a good thing, this book is different. There's not much of a supernatural aspect and the guys are trying to find Stefan's father while attempting to get to a safe house for most of the book. That means it's mostly the two of them being chased by the bad guys, with a few other characters popping into scenes every once in a while. There's a healthy dose of the sarcasm I love, though there's no comic relief, like Robin in the Leandros series; it wouldn't have fit if there had been. Like the Leandros series, there's a lot of action and Thurman, as usual, is great at raking her characters over the coals physically and emotionally. Lots of times when a writer has characters that get all emotional about each other (I'm talking siblings and friends here) I feel like it comes off sappy and I end up trying to stop my gag reflex from kicking in. I don't know how she does it, but Thurman is really great at pulling on the few, frayed heart strings I have when it comes to her characters, and this book is no different.

My one complaint (okay, two including the 80s looking cover), and the thing that keeps it from being five stars for me, is part of the ending, which I don't want to give away. I didn't have a problem with the resolution of this part of the book, but the explanation for it came out of left field and had me saying, "Are you kidding me?" However, it was something I can get over (mostly), and other than that, I loved this book. While it's being sold as a stand alone novel and was wrapped up nicely, there's definitely room for a sequel if Thurman ever decides to write one, and I would absolutely read it.

I picked this up for two reasons: I thought it would be interesting to see what else Thurman had done, and the plot sounded intriguing. I'm a sucker for suspense and the types of themes that this book offered.

Overall, Chimera does not disappoint. Granted, I consider the Leandros series to be on a whole other level, so I knew that this wouldn't result in the same kind of inspired attachment. But it's definitely a riveting thriller. An exciting tale of crime, genetic experimentation and heartwrenching family drama, the plot offers little breathing room once it gets started. It begins slower, introducing Russian mafia thug, Stefan, who has sacrificed everything over the last ten years to find his younger brother Lukas, whose kidnapping he witnessed as a child.

Once Stefan receives intel on a boy who is the right age and who matches his brother's description (namely the unique trait of bicolored eyes), things really take off. He discovers that the boy is being imprisoned in a compound known merely as the Institute, where bizarre scientific experiments are churning out super enhanced youths to serve as assassins to the highest bidder. With the help of a friend and colleague, Stefan extracts the seventeen year old from the hellish laboratory only to find that he calls himself Michael and has no memories of a brother or a life before the Institute, and has been subjected to intensive brainwashing and indoctrination.

Forced to go on the run, Stefan risks everything to get "Michael" away from his captors, and to give him a chance at a normal life and a real family. The majority of the book focuses on their time on the road, with Stefan trying to connect to a lost boy that he has virtually no understanding of. I found the drama to be beautifully written and although I figured out the twist about halfway through, I was still on the edge of my seat up until I closed the book.

The genetic elements were very interesting, though I do wish that more time had been spent focusing on that aspect. The relationship between Stefan and "Misha" was powerful but felt a bit too reminiscent of the Leandros brothers minus the quirky angle and unique supernatural themes. Well done, just somewhat redundant.

Certain things felt a bit too easy, like Stefan breaking into and then back out of a top secret compound built to contain genetically enhanced killing machines. Granted, if they hadn't gotten out, there would have been no story, so it had to happen. But snatching Michael when, say, the kids were out on one of their mall trips would have made more sense to me. That's only one small part of the book, though. Once you get past that, it's one hell of a ride and tightly structured. The climax felt a bit rushed and I was expecting things to unfold very differently, but a major revelation occurs at that point so I guess that was meant to be more of the focus.

All in all, I'd definitely recommend Chimera to anyone looking for a good, exciting thriller. It has some flaws but holds together very well regardless and is a nicely written page-turner that will keep you up until you're done. If you like psychological crime thrillers ala Dean Koontz and Lisa Gardner, this should be right up your alley.